Desert Rose
by Simurgh
Summary: Story of Lamia, half Haradrim, half Eldar. She grew up in Harad, but her heart was following moon and stars westward. Portrait of culture and life in Harad through Lamia's memories. Understanding their motives. Violence and adult content. Faramir pairing


"Captain, a platoon of Haradrim is coming towards us."

"Have they seen us?"

"No, my lord."

"Gather the men. Do not attack on sight. We shall wait for them to pass, then attack from the back."

"As you command, my lord."

Whistle. An arrow with green feathers perforated the man's back and its crimson tip protruded through the stomach, the same color as his clothes beneath the golden armor. And then the chaos started. _ATTACK!_ The sound of many feet marching was exchanged for the sound of metal. Oriental scimitars were jumping out of scabbards one by one. Blood. Screams. _FOR GONDOOOR!_ Silk belts flew across the battlefield, spotted with beads of scarlet, crimson and purple blood. Raven tresses fell to the ground next to me, attached to bodiless grimaces. I saw pain on their faces. Were those dying heads aware of their ephemeral existence in separation from their bodies? _Captain, there are not many of them left!_ It wasn't time for me to die. Not yet. I love life, even if it means only breathing the air and feeling growth of the trees. Green as the feathers in my country-men's lying bodies. Pain. More blood. My fighting skills have diminished for I saw more anguish than ever in my life. I have to hide. Gondor men will let none of us live. We are enemies.

_Victory! Hail, Captain Faramir! Hail, Gondor!_

"Mablung, how are we standing?"

"We have three dead men. Beltarn is badly wounded, an arrow hit him in the chest, but I think he will live if we hurry."

"And if the arrow is not poisonous... Mablung, you and Damrod will stay with me tonight. Tell others to take Beltarn to the sanctuary. And please, tell them to be fast. Anborn should be able to heal him."

"Yes, captain."

I was alive. I saw men fall around me like stricken bamboo canes and I was lucky I wasn't one of them. I covered myself with corpse of a giant warrior who fell only after six arrows had pierced his heart. My small female body was easy to hide, and the Gondor men were not as cruel as other warriors I saw during my short life. I expected them to plunder the corpses and finish me off, but they left the bodies be. Now I could find my way to the North, to golden Lotlorien, the land of my mother.

I decided to rest on a tree. I was safe now, the Gondor soldiers were gone. They were carrying a wounded man and I was hoping he'll die, for I hated them for what they have done to us today, and in the past. But most of all, I hated Sauron. We were caught in his net of promises and black dreams, wanting to be more powerful, to bathe in gold, jewels and pearls. People I grew up with, my father's kin, turned avid and cruel. I was still wondering if that was their real face or a reflection of Sauron himself. We, People of Harad, joined the forces of evil. We engaged ourselves in destruction of light and life, for sake of shiny trinkets and new territories. Maybe that was my spirit, maybe it was my mother's Eldar blood, but I didn't want to be a part of it. I wanted to escape, learn more about other people, and most of all, about the Eldar. I've never met another elf, and Harad was desolate even when it comes to stories about them.

My father, a powerful lord, fell in love with an elven woman. He kidnapped her, and showered her with love and fortune, but he kept her in captivity. She slowly faded, and died while she was giving birth to me. After that, my father's heart became like adamantine, and he only cared for me, his precious daughter who looked much like her mother. Last year, he was killed in a battle under Sauron's flag. Two hundred mumakil, covered with black silk, led the sad litany through wide, tawny streets of our city, built in the desert after we've lost Umbar. I watched the procession of the fallen bodies through my tall window. There was nothing more to hold me in this land, hot and blinding with sunlight. The only thing I missed were Summer nights... I'd be sitting on my balcony, listening to the sound of crickets mixing with zurnas, tambourines and exotic voices, and feeling the smell of jasmines and acacias... And sweet, viscous moonlight, my companion. Girls from my cousin's harem cried while I was fastening the ties on my armor, big to me, although it was the smallest armor I could find. I loved their soft bodies, silky hair, sensual touches. I loved making love with them, curving my body in passion. But I never slept with a man. I wanted to keep my body for someone I'll love my whole life, one person who I feel is a part of me. Maybe that was a part of my mother, too. I dreamed of beautiful, long-haired elven men, tall, with silver hair and shiny eyes.

I was awaken by the smell of fire. It was still night. Wind carried the smoke to me, and I saw two men sleeping by the fire, and the third sitting next to a tree, his eyes wide open and ears perked up. He was quite handsome, even though his face was colored green as a camouflage. Just like the soldiers who me and my men fiercely fought today. So I was wrong. The Gondor men weren't all gone. Melkor take them! I foolishly leaned over a branch to better see the man's face, and I fell. Before I managed to raise my caped head, two men were strongly holding me. I started to fight them. I was a skilled fighter, but these men were too strong for me, and seemed to be resistant to my bites and kicks, on which I reluctantly congratulated them, for I was struggling like a wild horse.

"Captain, we have found a Haradrim", one of them was saying while trying to keep me still. In one short moment, I yanked my head and my cape fell off. The tallest man, captain, was wonderstruck. I know my arrogance and haughtiness are not virtuous attributes, but I was proud of my looks and loved using them to play with men's feelings. They all looked alike, mouth open as in a dead fish. I also learned that their minds were not much more sophisticated than minds of dead fish. But this tall Gondor man was different. He quickly regained his strict stature and noble gaze.

"We shall take her to the sanctuary tomorrow morning", he said calmly.

"But captain, she's a Haradrim. You can evade your father's orders when it comes to allies, but this maiden is our enemy, no matter how gentle she may seem", the man I thought was attractive said. Now I wanted to kill him.

The captain looked at me piercingly. I felt his gaze breaking through my body, seeing the deepest chambers of my mind. "This maiden is not our enemy. I see something in her... I am not sure what, but I know she's not our enemy. Am I right, my lady?"

"I am not a lady anymore. I have traveled under this armor for a month, living like a man, fighting like a man, drinking and cursing like a man. And, trust me, _my lord_, our Haradrim men are not refined like yours."

The three men laughed. At least these two other rangers seemed to fall under my charm. Under moonlight, my elven beauty came even more to expression. My hair was golden, streaked with silver shine. I never saw anyone with similar hair color. Living in Harad, I could barely see any other hair color than black. Luckily, I washed it yesterday in one of the rare crystal streams, unpolluted by orcs' dirt. My eyes were also of rare color among my father's kin. Someone said they were the color of the sea, but I never saw sea. Only seas of sand, and now, these beautiful green landscapes. I felt good in this place. It fed me with energy and happiness, even after the scenes I saw. The air was healthy and it carried away all the hard memories.


End file.
